Notre Dame club says 2 members killed in plane crash

Two men who died in a small plane crash near Altoona were traveling to the University of Notre Dame for a leadership conference this weekend.

The Notre Dame Club of Harrisburg says the men were club president Stephen Grady and treasurer James Durkin.

Grady, a 1974 graduate of Notre Dame, had a dental practice in Camp Hill.

Durkin worked at a Lancaster security company. He was a member of the club but not an alumnus, according to a statement on Notre Dame’s website.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cirrus SR-22 single-engine plane crashed around 8:45 a.m. Thursday in a residential area near Williamsburg, about 10 miles east of Altoona.

The plane took off from Lancaster and was bound for South Bend, Indiana before it was diverted to the Altoona airport.

No one else was on the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

“All of us in the Notre Dame family are shocked and saddened by this tragic news,” Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins said in the statement. “My prayers are with Steve and Jim’s families. We grieve with them and ask for God’s blessings during this time of sorrow.”

The Notre Dame Club of Harrisburg posted a statement on its Facebook page.

“These men were deeply rooted within the very fabric of our club and died while on a mission in representation of us,” the statement reads. “As a family, we are devastated by this terrible loss. We pray for consolation and comfort to offer their wives and children.”

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